Global Lung Cancer Awareness Month Coalition Announces Goals

The Lung Cancer Awareness Month Coalition (LCAMC), a group of more than 20 research and advocacy organizations from around the world focused on thoracic cancers, announced the launch of the 2017 Lung Cancer Awareness Month in early November with a panel event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Panelists outlined the most pressing topics in lung cancer prevention and treatment and their priorities for this November, focusing on better implementation of lung cancer screening guidelines, expanding knowledge of treatment options, and growing patient participation in decision-making and in clinical trials.

“The idea behind this month and this Coalition is to unite all of the people and organizations working to improve patient outcomes through unified objectives,” said Fred Hirsch, MD, PhD, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), which leads the Coalition. “We have made great progress in recent years, but there is much more to accomplish—and we are stronger together than we are individually.”

Increased Screening

During the panel, Coalition partners outlined the dire need for a comprehensive implementation of existing country-specific lung cancer screening guidelines for high-risk individuals. Although clear data exists identifying who should be screened, implementation still lags. In the United States, for instance, of the approximately 9 million people who qualify for screening, only about 3% actually get screened.

“We can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% with a full implementation of lung cancer screening guidelines,” noted Dr. Hirsch.

Expanding Knowledge of Treatment Options

Coalition members and panelists also discussed the need to educate patients about their treatment options, which are rapidly expanding. With advances in molecular categorization of tumors, a variety of emerging targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and other precision medicines, there are a number of options for patients beyond traditional forms of treatment, even for those with advanced stages of the disease. Members and panelists also expressed a need for better education for community doctors about lung cancer’s rapid advances. With more information, these doctors will have greater awareness of the treatments that save patients’ lives.

“Research has made huge improvements in not that long of a timespan. Back in 2006, there was virtually nothing. At the time, we met a lot of patients whose doctor simply said ‘Oh, you have lung cancer, go home and get your affairs in order.’ Today, that just isn’t the case,” said Montessa Lee, a survivor and advocate. "In these last couple of years, we’ve seen a whirlwind of new advances and new treatments.”

Increasing Clinical Trials

The last key area of focus discussed was dramatically increasing clinical trials, which are generating promising results. While clinical trials can provide better outcomes than standard treatments, only 3% to 5% of lung cancer patients in the U.S. participate in clinical trials.

Throughout the month, the Coalition partners continued to focus on smoking prevention, which remains the leading cause of lung cancer. They also worked to combat unfair stigma associated with the disease, educating the public on recent medical progress and the multiple causes of lung cancer, such as radon exposure, family history, and other environmental factors.

The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.